Differences between formal NGOs and social movements have kept them apart, but it doesn’t have to be that way

Progressive civic activism of all stripes is under attack, and targeted further under the pretext of pandemic response, yet it remains fragmented and vulnerable. How can CSOs and social movements overcome the barriers preventing collaboration to defend and expand their shared physical and online space? And how should funders support these efforts?

Convening in Accra coordinated by WACSI. Credit: WACSI

In September 2019, the Ghana based West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and the Fund for Global Human Rights convened 20 activists from 13 countries across Anglophone and Francophone West Africa to explore how CSOs, social movements and funders can foster practical solidarity during this assault on activism. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.